Chapter 332 - 30: The Cannon Fodder Sister-in-Law in the Favorite Daughter Story

Xie Jian looked at the bicycle in front of him, and after a moment of silence, he still asked a question.

"Next time you go to town to sell things, can you take me with you?"

"You’re too tall and noticeable, easily remembered by people. It’s best not to get involved in these things."

After saying this, Jiang Lai added another sentence.

"Besides, we won’t need to do this anymore in the future; we won’t be short of money again."

"You’re really amazing."

Jiang Lai was like a mystery, impossible to fully understand.

But Xie Jian wasn’t like other arrogant men who couldn’t stand having a wife more capable than himself; all his melancholy was solely because of himself.

His wife was already so capable, yet all he had was this small piece of land in front of him. What would he do if the gap between them grew wider in the future?

Xie Jian was still under a lot of pressure, but for the time being, he couldn’t think of any way to narrow the gap.

As he pushed the bicycle out of the supply and marketing cooperative, many envious eyes followed him. Jiang Lai jogged a couple of steps ahead, lifted her back leg high to straddle, and slowly started riding it in front of Xie Jian.

Bicycles of this era were large, with a bar in front, and it was very difficult for shorter women to ride them. Fortunately, Jiang Lai’s legs were long enough to reach the pedals, but it was still quite strenuous on this uneven road.

Jiang Lai simply stopped and beckoned to Xie Jian.

"Come over, steady it."

Xie Jian pushed the bike, then was urged by Jiang Lai to get on.

His legs were extraordinarily long, and as he sat on the saddle, his legs could still reach the ground. In his hands, the heavy bicycle seemed much daintier, with no worries of falling at all.

"Try both feet off the ground, I’ll keep you steady from the back."

Xie Jian was very bold; he wasn’t afraid of falling at all. Instead, whenever he lost balance, he instinctively protected the bicycle underneath him. Jiang Lai couldn’t really help from behind. After running a few steps, Xie Jian had already managed to conquer that clumsy bicycle, wobbling along the bumpy road.

Back and forth, it took less than ten minutes.

Xie Jian could even turn around and stop beside Jiang Lai, looking at her.

"Bicycles are indeed quicker than walking."

"Your sense of balance is impressive. Keep riding for a bit more, take it slow."

Xie Jian nodded, pedaling slowly forward. At first, he wobbled and shook, but after a while, he could progress slowly and steadily at a tortoise pace.

At this moment, beside him, Jiang Lai agilely grabbed the back of his shirt and leapt onto the rear seat.

"Let’s go home!"

Xie Jian rode the bicycle steadily and quickly. Jiang Lai sat freely at the back, swinging her legs, feeling the breeze in her face. It swept away the autumn heat and brought a refreshing coolness, with the air filled with the green scent of grass mixed with straw. As they passed through the field paths, many children gleaning in the fields curiously looked up.

"Bicycle!!"

"Look, it’s a bicycle!!"

Several children excitedly chased after them, but Xie Jian rode even faster, leaving them behind.

At the village entrance, their bicycle drew even more attention from the elders and children gathered there chatting, who began loudly asking questions.

"Where did Xie Jian get this bicycle?"

Jiang Lai loudly replied beside him.

"We bought it."

"Bought it?! Oh my, Xie Jian must have made a fortune, being able to afford a bicycle!"

Nowadays, people with even a hundred or two hundred yuan were considered extraordinary wealth, as it was the whole family’s savings, often reserved for the next generation’s marriage and house-building. Yet here was Xie Jian, spending over a hundred yuan on a bicycle!

They hadn’t even reached home, but the news of Xie Jian buying a bicycle had already spread throughout the village.

Seeing so many children following, Little Buding couldn’t help but marvel.

"Bicycles in this era are rarer than Mercedes-Benz and BMWs decades later, especially in a village. Jiang Lai, you’d die if you weren’t grandstanding."

Every time Jiang Lai showed off, Little Buding always remarked sarcastically on the side.

Jiang Lai just loved being in the spotlight and didn’t care about others’ gazes. After all, the people here had way more jealousy than Little Buding, wishing they could stare the bicycle into money and snatch it into their own pockets.

Meanwhile, Liu Yan, who couldn’t wait and went straight to the Xie Family’s door, saw a group of kids running past shouting something about "Xie the Third" and "bicycle" and dashed over.

She quickly grabbed one and asked.

"What are you shouting about? What’s happening over there?"

"Xie the Third bought a bicycle! Go take a look!"

Xie the Third?

Isn’t that Xie Jian?

He bought a bicycle?!

Feeling impatient to get the money, Liu Yan felt tormented as if a cat was clawing her heart and hurried to the village entrance.

From a distance, she saw Xie Jian pushing a bicycle over, with Jiang Lai beside him laughing and chatting, surrounded by a couple of young guys around the same age, all eager to try out the bicycle.

Seeing this scene and the bicycle in Xie Jian’s hands, Liu Yan suddenly felt her mind go blank, and her lungs inflated like they were bursting, driven by jealousy and anger to scream out.

"Jiang Lai!!"

The people around who were preparing to test the ride were startled and didn’t recognize Liu Yan,

"Who is that?"

Xie Jian glanced at Jiang Lai, and seeing the familiar indifference in Jiang Lai’s eyes, he made up his mind.

In a few steps, Liu Yan was in front of them, pointing at the bicycle and asking.

"Did you buy this?"

Xie Jian called out to Liu Yan as "Mom" and then nodded.

Liu Yan’s eyes were red with urgency; this was a bicycle, after all. How much did it cost? How much had this couple spent on their family Jinbao?!

"Money! Bring out whatever’s left!"

Xie Jian frowned and said nothing, while Jiang Lai looked puzzled and asked.

"What are you talking about? What money?"

"Money! The money for Jinbao’s bride!"

The few young guys around were all stunned, looking incredulously at Liu Yan, astounded that she might have lost her mind or gone crazy.

A mother-in-law coming to ask for money, what does that mean? Is she not afraid of being ridiculed by others?

Jiang Lai remained puzzled.

"What does Jinbao getting a wife have to do with us? I’m not even his mother."

Hearing this, Liu Yan was so angry she began to jabber incoherently.

"Jiang Lai, what do you mean?! There’s money to buy a bicycle, but not to help Jinbao get a wife?! Why did I raise such an ungrateful daughter like you! Raising you was worse than raising a watchdog!"

Wherever there’s a quarrel, there are people watching the spectacle, and those who had chased to see the bicycle gathered again to watch the argument.

"Isn’t that Jinbao’s mother? Why is she here asking her capable son-in-law for money?"

"A married daughter is like water that has been poured out; coming back to ask for money isn’t it embarrassing?!"

"But Xie Jian is well-off now; he has the money to buy a bicycle, so how could Liu Yan not be jealous?!"